BROCKTON – When Malia Fleurimond heard the familiar jingle of the ice cream truck Monday night, she and her sister darted out to catch up to it.

But as the 3-year-old crossed the street, she was struck by a car that attempted to bypass the truck shortly before 7 p.m., police said.

The two had been playing in their grandmother’s front yard when the ice cream truck turned on Fuller Street, said their grandmother, Andrelie Fleurimond.

She had been in the home when the girls rushed inside to ask for money to buy ice cream, she said. She didn’t realize until later, she continued, that the older child, 7-year-old Aliyah, had already taken money from her purse and, with Malia in tow, ran back outside.

The girls darted out in front of the truck just as a black Nissan Maxima driven by a man in his 20s slowly circled around it, said Brockton police Lt. Mark Porcaro.

Malia was hit by the front of a the car and landed on her face, said her grandmother. Neighbors had surrounded the child, who was seen crying.

“I ran out of the house barefoot and saw her lying on the ground and I almost fainted,” said Fleurimond speaking Haitian Creole.

Malia, who police say suffered head trauma, was taken by ambulance to the Brockton Fairgrounds and then airlifted by medical helicopter to Boston Children’s Hospital. Her condition was unknown as of last night.

The driver, who was not issued a citation, remained on the scene and had cooperated with authorities, Porcaro said. The matter is under investigation by the state police accident reconstruction team and Brockton police.

“It was an unfortunate accident. The driver pulled over and did the right thing. I hope she’ll be alright,” Porcaro said.

Though she said she didn’t blame the driver, Fleurimond – who migrated to the United States following the earthquake in Haiti in 2010 – said she is still disturbed by what happened.

“I know how cars can kill people,” she said as she leaned against the door frame for support. “Thank God they weren’t going fast.”

With her own sense of conviction, Aliyah added: “Next time, I’m not going to get any ice cream.”

Malia is the latest youth to be hit by a car in recent months.

“This year, it seems there have been a few more than normal,” said Porcaro.

Other recent incidents are:

May 15: The most recent incident occurred when three school-aged students escaped serious injury when a car, allegedly driven by Yainira Boria, hit them while they crossed the street to catch their school bus on Warren Avenue.

Page 2 of 2 - April 2: Victor Gomes, a 7-year-old Angelo School student, had his leg broken in two places after he ran into a moving car on Main Street. Police later issued the driver a citation for fleeing the scene.

April 9: Six-year-old Zeydan Fortes was struck by a car while crossing the street with his mother and brother outside his house on West Chestnut Street in Brockton.

Police said Zeydan ran into the road by himself and was struck by a Nissan Maxima driven by a 29-year-old Brockton woman.

The woman was not cited or charged in the accident, police said. Relatives refuted that account, saying the boy’s mother held her children’s hands as they crossed the street.

April 23: A 10-year-old child riding a bike in Brockton was struck by a car at the intersection of Glenwood and Spring streets. The injuries were not life-threatening.